The Energy News Feed

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

(PASCO, WA) -- The Franklin PUD Board of Commissioners has selected Scott R. Rhees as the next General Manager of the utility.State law requires the selection be
formalized over two separate regular commission meetings.At today’s board meeting, the Commissioners
introduced the resolution naming Rhees as General Manager.They are expected to formally adopt the
resolution at the March 26th regular board meeting. The appointment will be
effective April 1.

Franklin PUD received 58 applications from candidates across
the region.After thoroughly reviewing
and analyzing the qualifications of all individuals, the final selection was
Rhees.

A native of Utah, Rhees brings 40 years’ experience to Franklin
PUD.Most recently Rhees has been
working as the Vice President of Transmission and Utility Relations with Cyrq
Energy in Salt Lake City developing renewable energy generation projects.He has an extensive background in the energy
industry including working in the areas of operations, transmission, generation
development, and public relations. Much of his experience has been with
investor owned utilities including PacifiCorp.Franklin PUD believes Rhees brings a wide variety of knowledge that is
not only applicable to public power, but will help the utility plan for the
future in an energy industry that is likely to see significant changes in how
we are required to do business.

Rhees’s community involvement is widespread.He has been active in community relations and
economic development throughout his career, serving on various economic
development boards, Chamber of Commerce boards and as past Chamber President.
He and his wife currently serve on the Heber Valley Cowboy Poetry and Music
Festival Board, located in Heber City, Utah.“I'm honored to have the opportunity to be part of the community and
leadership team for Franklin PUD. I'm excited to bring my past experience to
support the needs of customers and the team. I look forward to being involved
in the community and working with the great employees at Franklin PUD,” stated
Rhees.

Rhees is married and has three children and two
grandchildren.

Franklin PUD is pleased to have Rhees join the team to lead
the utility and carry on the values of public power and its core principles.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The Trump administration’s proposal to
sell off the federal government’s utility assets has made it, once again, into
the budget proposal, and utility groups are already lining up to fight it.

The proposal calls for privatizing the transmission line
assets owned by the large Power Marketing Administrations like Bonneville in
the Northwest and the Southwestern Power Administration, which represents 7
percent of the nation’s total electricity production.

The two administrations sell some of the lowest cost
hydro-electric power in the world, and because of that have attracted high-tech
manufacturers and data center companies in places like Washington state. But
it’s not been clear why the Trump administration wants to privatize the
administrations’ utility lines.

Utility trade groups the American Public Power
Administration and National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association had
successfully beaten back the proposal in the past by pointing out to Congress
the harm privatizing the assets would cause for consumers who would see their
energy bills rise.

Sue Kelly, the APPA president, immediately called on
Congress “to reject these misguided proposals.” She said that the proposal
would “threaten” the ability of the power administrations to provide reliable
electricity to 1,200 public power utility systems and rural electric
cooperatives in 33 states.

She said the power administrations function as large public
corporations, and do not require taxpayer funding to operate, and provide
electricity based on cost of generating it.

The four administrations targeted by the Trump plan include
the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Bonneville Power Administration,
Southwestern Power Administration, and the Western Area Power Administration.

Kelly and the rural cooperatives successfully defeated the
plan as it appeared in the president’s two previous budgets by getting both
Democrats and Republicans to rail publicly against it and vow that it not see
the light of day.

Friday, March 8, 2019

(PORTLAND, OR) – The Public Power Council announced today
that its long-time Executive Director Scott Corwin will be departing at the end
of April to become the next Executive Director of the Northwest Public Power
Association.

“It has been an honor and great pleasure to work for the
members of PPC for the last 12 years,” said Corwin. “As I take on this new role
for public power utilities, it is reassuring to know that PPC is positioned so
well for the future with a very strong board and top-notch staff.”

Corwin was hired as the Executive Director in April 2007. Prior
to joining PPC, Corwin worked at PNGC Power and Portland General Electric,
after spending years working on the Capitol Hill in

Washington, D.C.

“We thank Scott for his dedicated service to the region’s
consumer-owned utilities,” said Debra Smith, PPC Executive Committee
Chairwoman, and CEO and General Manager of Seattle City Light. “We were
fortunate to have Scott leading public power during this transformational time
in the industry and are pleased that the region will continue to benefit from
his expertise and leadership in his new role.”

During his time at PPC, Corwin helped develop unified
positions on public power’s interests in securing reliable and economic power
supply options from the Bonneville Power Administration. He was at the helm as
PPC pushed BPA to chart a new course towards a more competitive future, while also
fending off proposals to privatize BPA’s transmission system and helping
position the regional for negotiations for a more equitable Columbia River
Treaty.

The Board will announce the search and selection process for
the next Executive Director at a later date. “In the interim, we are confident
that PPC is in good hands with its capable staff,” said

Smith.

About the Public Power Council: The Public Power Council, established in 1966, is an association that
represents over 100 consumer-owned electric utilities in the Pacific Northwest.
PPC’s mission is to preserve and protect the benefits of the Federal Columbia
River Power System for consumer-owned utilities, and is a key forum to
identify, discuss and build consensus around energy and utility issues. For
more information, please visit us on the web at

(VANCOUVER,
WA) Today the Northwest Public Power Association announced that its board of
trustees has selected Scott Corwin to be the association’s next executive
director, effective May 1. Corwin will step in as Anita Decker retires after
five years with NWPPA and over 39 years of experience in the industry.

“I am very excited about leading a new chapter at NWPPA
during this time of dynamic change in our industry. Having watched NWPPA reach
new heights in recent years, my aim is to bring my energytobuildonthatsuccesstofurtherenhancethegreatbalance
oftraining,communications,andpolicyengagementthatNWPPA
offers,” said Corwin. “It has been very
rewarding to work for a great public power organization like PPC for 12 years
and I am proud to be continuing my career in the public power industry.”

Corwin comes to NWPPA with over 20 years of experience in
the public power industry and over 30 years in legislative/government affairs.
For the past 12 years, he has served as the executive director for the Public
Power Council, a regional association for preference public power customers of
Bonneville Power Administration. As PPC’s executive director, he leads a board
of 21 diverse public power utility general managers and directors; advises on
business and policy options around wholesale power supply; and negotiates for
desired outcomes in administrative, business, legal, and legislative venues.

Prior to PPC, he worked for Portland General Electric and
later for PNGC Power, where he was the vice president of marketing and public
affairs. He spent several years in Washington, D.C., working for Sens. Don
Riegle (Mich.) and Mark Hatfield (Ore.) as well as for the Senate
Appropriations Committee.

“As president of the board, I would like to take the
opportunity to thank all those who applied for the job of executive director of
NWPPA,” said NWPPA Board President Scott Egbert. “Scott Corwin is a phenomenal
individual with a life-long work career in the regulatory and electric industry
primarily pertaining to the Northwest. He brings his expertise, energy, and enthusiasm
to this new position. NWPPA looks forward to moving ahead with Scott at the helm.”

Corwin currently chairs the American Public Power
Association’s Power Marketing Administration Task Force and is an active member
of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's National Preference
Customer Committee, APPA’s Advisory Committee, and BPA’s Customer
Collaborative. He has served on numerous other boards and committees for
business and charitable organizations.

He earned a juris doctorate from the University of
Washington School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in government with a
psychology concentration from Dartmouth College in N.H. He is the executive
editor of the 2016 industry book, Public Power Chronicle, as well as a
frequent expert witness before congressional, state, and regional committees.

About NWPPA: NWPPA is an
international not-for-profit trade association representing and serving over
150 customer-owned, locally controlled utilities in the Western U.S. and
Canada. The Association also serves approximately 300 associate members across
the U.S. and Canada who are allied with the electric utility industry. Visit www.nwppa.org, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebookfor more information.

Thursday, March 7, 2019

(WASHINGTON, DC) -- The House Energy and Commerce Committee
continued its series of climate hearings on Thursday by slamming the Energy
Department for not moving forward in implementing congressionally-mandated
energy conservation standards for washers, dryers and other appliances.

“In the last two years, the Energy Department has blown
through 16 legally-mandated deadlines to finalize standards for appliances,”
said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the chairman of the committee. The standards
require manufacturers to sell products that consume less energy, thus helping
to contribute to lower emissions.

Instead of moving forward and updating the efficiency
standards, Pallone said, the agency has spent most of its time dismantling
regulations, and is currently crafting a draft rule to get rid of efficiency
standards for light bulbs, which are projected to save the average household
$100 a year in 2025.

DOE’s ‘disrespectful’ response

In requesting an update last year, Pallone said the Energy
Department sent him a three-line response with internet links. He called it one
of the most “disrespectful” responses he has ever received from an agency. He
resent the letter last month, and although more accommodating, the response
left a lot unanswered on the 16 standards that are legally mandated.

Daniel Simmons, assistant secretary of the Energy
Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said he is
committed to completing the standards, but not in the next six months. He said
there are stringent requirements under the law to follow in developing the
standards that will take them time.

Pallone was unconvinced, saying “it just seems to me you’re
not going to follow the law.”

Major cuts coming in budget

The hearing comes as media outlets reported on Thursday that
the forthcoming fiscal year 2020 budget would slash the Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy by 70 percent, from $2.3 billion to $700
million.

Friday, March 1, 2019

(PORTLAND, OR) – The Bonneville Power Administration and its
long-term transmission customers successfully negotiated a settlement agreement
to implement a new open access transmission tariff that will go into effect October
1. The tariff defines the terms and conditions of services, products and
network integration offered by BPA.

“This settlement resulted from a collaborative effort and
provides BPA the ability to align its business processes with current and
emerging industry standards,” said BPA Administrator Elliot Mainzer, who signed
the record of decision that adopted both the settlement and new tariff. “Our
customers’ willingness to partner with us and negotiate solutions to complex
issues has resulted in a sustainable path forward for BPA to the benefit of our
customers and the region.”

One of the key changes in the new tariff is the removal of
the requirement to submit all changes to the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission for review and approval. Due to differences between a typical
FERC-jurisdictional utility and the unique nature and mission of the federal
power marketing agency, BPA was unable to get needed changes and updates to its
tariff approved through FERC. In the fall of 2016, BPA notified the region that
the process to change its existing tariff was no longer a tenable approach.
Additionally, achieving the goals of the BPA 2018-2023 Strategic Plan requires
tariff modernization.

BPA announced its decision to conduct a hearing under
Section 212 of the Federal Power Act to develop a new tariff and launched a
series of workshops in April 2018 to solicit customer feedback on its proposed
tariff changes. From September to November, BPA and its long-term transmission
customers met 22 times to negotiate the terms of a settlement agreement on the
tariff.

Under the terms of the settlement, all of BPA’s long-term
transmission customers have agreed to transition their existing contracts to
the new tariff as of October 1. While not generally under the jurisdiction of
FERC, BPA remains committed to aligning its tariff with FERC’s pro forma tariff
and the best practices of the utility industry. BPA and its customers plan to
conduct regular proceedings, concurrent with BPA rate cases, to continue to
amend and modernize the agency’s tariff.

About Me

Joel Myer works at an electrical utility in Washington State.
Prior to his current employment, he worked for nine years at the City of Shelton as Special Projects Coordinator.
In 1992, Joel served a three-month term as an appointed Mason County Commissioner. As far as it is known, he still holds the record for the shortest term for a county commissioner in Washington State.
From 1991 through 1992 Joel worked with Washington State University Cooperative Extension, where he conducted an extensive study of the special forest products industry and its economic value to the Pacific Northwest.
From 1980 to 1991 he was News Director at KMAS Radio in Shelton.
Joel is a 1991 graduate of the Evergreen State College, where his focus of study was economics.
Joel Myer is one of the 2018 award winners, Foundation for Water & Energy Education Haiku Contest.
He has been teaching himself to play the ukulele (with limited success) since 2003.